Thanks to Katiya
by lilidelafield
Summary: A Katiya Story Illya Kuryakin and Napoleon Solo are missing-in-action. Where are they? Will they return?
1. Chapter 1

January 10th

10.30pm

Our foster daughter, Katiya Kuryakin had a screaming fit today. It was especially shocking because it has never happened before. She is, for the most part, a good child. She is very possessive about her papa's affections, but considering he is all she has left in the world, coupled with the fact that she does not see him nearly as often as she would like, I guess that is understandable. I recall with our Poll that to discipline her whilst she was in that state did more harm than good, and merely added fuel to her fire. Therefore, with Katiya I did not even attempt to stop her or talk to her. I simply politely asked her to stop screaming, and when she did not, I took her to her papa's bedroom and instructed her to stay put until she had calmed down. I promised I would return to talk to her when she was ready to speak calmly.

I admit I felt terrible walking away from her, because in her case there seemed more to it than a simple case of childish temper tantrum. I asked Polly if Katiya had spoken to her about anything that she thought might have brought this on, but Polly was not very helpful. She demurred at first, but later had said that Katiya had complained a few times recently that it was not fair that Polly got to see her mama and papa all the time, but she only saw her papa once or twice in a month, and she didn't even _have_ a mama any longer.

I think Polly was finding it hard to understand why Katiya should be so unhappy when she has Wint and I to take care of her, a foster sister to play with and share things with her, a large farm to live on and a huge bedroom with lots of toys to share. I asked Polly to try to imagine herself in Katiya's place; to try and imagine that she lost her family and her home, was adopted by Uncle Napoleon, but taken away to another country that spoke a different language because that was where he worked…and then Uncle Napoleon left her in the care of a strange family because he was going to be away too much to take care of her himself. Put in those terms, I think Polly started, for the first time, to get a glimpse of life through Katiya's eyes.

"Mom, is that why she doesn't like it when Uncle Illya lets me come when he takes her out?"

I nodded.

"Maybe I shouldn't ask any more then, mom."

I reassured her that it was fine to ask. That Katiya had to learn to share sometimes, and that Illya would always make sure that he and his daughter got privacy when they needed it. To let _him_ decide. Poll was satisfied, but then I had to go upstairs and talk to Katiya.

To her credit, when I went in, she said she was sorry for screaming and asked me for a hug. I thanked her for saying sorry, and explained to her that the quickest way to get help if she was feeling bad or upset was to tell someone. To scream just makes other people cross. I asked her why she was screaming?

At first, she shook her head, but after some patient wheedling, it transpired that she had decided that her papa must be dead. He had promised, she told me, to call her in the evenings whenever he could, and he had never left it this long without calling her or at least sending her a message to say he loved her.

I had to think about that, and was quite astounded when I realized that it had been almost two months since we had heard a word from either Napoleon or Illya. No wonder the poor child was scared.

I reassured her the best I could, and reminded her that sometimes Mister Waverley sent them on missions that took a long time and were very secret, so that they would not be allowed to call or send any message in case their enemies found out. I promised her that in the morning I would call Miss Rogers, whom was our U.N.C.L.E point of contact with regards to Katiya, and ask her if there was any news. Katiya asked me to promise that I would make that call first thing the next morning, and when I promised, she gave me a watery smile and assured me that she would try and remember to come to me the next time she got frightened.

So, my dear diary, there ends the day. I might telephone Katiya's teacher too, just to put her in the picture and ask her to keep a discreet eye on her tomorrow at school. In fact, I think I will do that right now, before it gets too late.


	2. Chapter 2 - January 15th 930 am

January 15th  
9.30 a.m  
I did call U.N.C.L.E's Miss Lisa Rogers a few days ago, just to ask her if there was anything reassuring I could tell the child. Miss Rogers was full of sympathy, but replied that no one at UNCLE had any information at all, of the whereabouts or condition of Messrs. Solo and Kuryakin. They had been sent on an important mission, but were three weeks overdue, and no word had been heard from either of them. All she did say was that two teams of agents had been sent to try and trace them, and ensure that their mission was, in fact, completed. Millions of lives depended upon it. She had nothing further to tell me except to promise to let me know as soon as she was able to give me any news.  
It has taken me four days to work out what to tell Katiya, or whether to leave things be for the time being. Wint believes the child should be told the truth, and I agree with him of course, but Wint is not the one who will have to do the telling. I am the one who will have to sit her down and explain to her that there is a chance that her papa might not ever come back. I will tell her after school today. Wint is taking Polly out on the tractor this afternoon, to shift some of the snow from the barns and yards, so I will have the chance to speak to the little girl in relative privacy. If needs be I will keep her away from school tomorrow. I'll have to let you know what happens later.


	3. Chapter 3 - 17th January 1130 PM

17th January

11.30pm

I told Katiya yesterday exactly what Miss Rogers told me. She deserves to know the truth, and she will never trust us fully if we are not honest with her about her father, however difficult it might be. She took it a lot easier at first than I had expected. It was almost as if I was confirming her worst fears rather than telling her something new and shocking. She has already lost everyone important to her, it is tragic that she could have lost Illya too. She sat very still and silent in her chair, thanked me politely for telling her and asked to be excused. I asked her if she wanted company and she said she would like to go to sit alone in her room please?

Since when do children ask to do that? I knew she was hiding her feelings from me, but she had to trust me enough to come to me herself. If she does not, then I have failed her. I know I am not her mother, but I really do try to be the next best thing for her, and up until that moment, I thought I had been doing okay. After all, Polly is a normal, healthy, happy child. On the other hand, Polly doesn't know what it is like to lose someone she loves. Yet, at least.

I didn't record a diary entry yesterday, because I was so worried about Katiya. We had still heard nothing from UNCLE, and Katiya was refusing to leave her room, or to eat. Polly told me the child simply sat cross legged on her bed all night long, staring out of the window at the stars. She wouldn't talk, but she wasn't weeping either. I prayed desperately that the poor child would open up. I went in several times through the day, but all I got for my efforts was a stubborn expression and shake of the head. She was even refusing to drink until I reminded her that her papa would want her to be healthy when he gets home.

Well, I know it is late, but Katiya came into our room just a little while ago. Wint and I were both asleep, but she stood still and silent beside the bed, and…well, you know how it is? For some reason, I just knew she was there and needed me, and I woke up. I sat up and held out my arms to her.

"Hey baby, are you alright, honey?"

Wint too woke up at that moment.

"How are you doing, sweetie? Can't sleep?"

Katiya stared at us silently for a moment more, then the dam broke and she finally started to cry. She admitted to us how very much she loved and missed her papa, and when he was away she said it was his calls that kept her happy because she knew he was alive and thinking about her. Now she had not heard from him for ages, and he might be dead and she wanted to be too so that she could be with him again.

"My mama died, and my first papa died, then babushka died, then dedushka and all I had was Uncle Illya…my new papa, and I don't want to lose him too…"

She broke into sobs, and it was all we could do not to break down with her. Wint rocked her, stroking her hair, and I sang the Russian lullaby Illya had taught me, and presently her sobs subsided and she fell asleep.

So here I am catching up, with Katiya sleeping between us. Wint and I are now fully awake and watching over her. We are going to have to do all in our power to keep her mind fully occupied, until we get news one way or the other. It's the not knowing that is so crippling for the poor child. And there is so little we can say to her, except to try and keep hope alive.


	4. Chapter 4 - 25th January 930 PM

January 25th

9.30 pm

We spoke to Katiya's teacher, and she agreed to make sure that Katiya was kept busy through the day, so that she did not have time to brood. When she got home from school, Wint and I also made sure she stayed busy. Not in doing dull chores, but doing things that kept her mind occupied. Simple things, like asking her to draw me a picture of the first house she remembered living in, so that we could put it on the wall and frame it.

Then Winston wanted her to help him feed the animals after school, so she went and helped him with the pigs and the hens. She came back red faced and hungry as a hunter…and quite prepared to eat whatever was put in front of her!

We took her to the zoo in central park. She was sad at first, because she said it was one of the first places her papa had taken her to. But we told her that when she got home she would be asked to draw a picture of all the animals she had seen in the zoo, along with a picture of the food they were given to eat. That forced her to pay close attention to everything she was seeing, and then later to remember it all.

That child has an amazing memory. I think she must have inherited that from Illya. All in all, we did a reasonable job of keeping her mind occupied, but it was not easy. She has a mind like her papa, and was not easy to keep her attention diverted. It may be that she was aware of what we were doing and letting us think….but no that is silly. She's only seven years old. Whatever the case, although she was still very worried, she remained busy enough for a few days to keep her worry to a background level. And then we received a visit from April Dancer. April was serious and official, and that in itself frightened Katiya before April even opened her mouth. April took Katiya on her knee and spoke to her directly, which I thought was a thoughtful touch. I will report the visit in dialogue form as closely as I can remember it.

APRIL: Hello again sweetheart. How have you been doing? Miss Lisa Rogers tells me you have been very worried about your papa?

KATIYA: Is he alright? Have you come to tell me that he is coming home?

APRIL: Well, you know that Mister Waverly sends your papa and Uncle Napoleon away on difficult and sometimes dangerous missions? _(Katiya nodded)_ Well, this last mission was a very hard one and it took a long time. And because it was secret, they were not allowed to call anyone at all. The problem, Katiya, was that it took a lot longer than was expected, and so Mister Waverly sent myself and Mark along with two other agents to find them and help them.

KATIYA: Did you find them? Are they alright? Are they coming home?

APRIL: Yes, we did find them eventually, but it took us several days. They had completed their mission, but they had been hurt… _(here Katiya's lip started to tremble)_

KATIYA: Badly hurt? Did they die? I kept dreaming that papa was dead, and I am scared… _(that was shocking news to me.)_

APRIL: No, sweetheart, papa is not dead, neither is Uncle Napoleon. We found them in a hospital in a foreign country. They were both unconscious. They had been unconscious for several days, but the doctors at the hospital didn't know how to help them, and because they were both unconscious, and they didn't have anything with them to say who they were, They didn't know who to tell about them. Now Katiya, you are going to have to be a big girl for a while. Mister Waverly sent a special plane to fetch them and bring them back home. Yesterday morning they were brought into UNCLE medical here in New York, and our doctors examined them.

CECILY: Do you know what happened to them, April?

APRIL: Not fully, Ce. The doctors treating them told us that both men had been physically hurt…THRUSH, you know, but easy to treat. The thing is they are both still unconscious and there seems no sign of either of them waking any time soon.

CECILY: Are they in a coma?

APRIL: _(Shrugging_ ) That is what it appears to be. They show no responses at all. Scans of their brains revealed some brain activity, but that is intermittent. The medical team tell me that their vital signs are stable at the moment, but they are weakening. The Lab is working hard to try and identify the components of the substance that was found in their blood, but it is slow work. In the meantime, they are both gradually getting weaker and weaker.

KATIYA: Please, I want to see my papa! I'll be good, I won't cry or anything, but my papa needs me!

At this point, April herself looked like she wanted to cry, and she gave Katiya a hug.

"I'll tell you what, I will ask Mister Waverly, alright?"

Katiya started to cry then, but she knows April, and indeed UNCLE well enough to know that Mister Waverly's word is law, so she nodded and sat for the rest of the visit, sniffing quietly and clearly crying, but trying not to show it. It is times like this that impresses upon me the trust that Illya has placed in Wint and myself; the care of his daughter. The one thing in the world that he cares about more than anything and anyone else. I really hope Mister Waverly will allow Katiya in to see her papa, if only for a few minutes.


	5. Chapter 5 - 27th January 130 AM

27th January

01.30 a.m

I am not at home. I am staying in UNCLE headquarters in one of the guest rooms so that I can watch over Katiya. The doctors here it seems feel that it might be beneficial for the child to be with her father, for her for obvious reasons, but also because they are desperately seeking some way to help the two men.

A car arrived for us just before school, so I had to call miss Borrowdale (Katiya's teacher) to explain why she would not be in school today, and then whilst Wint took Polly to school, I went to UNCLE medical with the UNCLE section three man, Jackson. Winston promised to follow us later, once he had arranged for Poll to stay with a school friend overnight. Tomorrow, whatever happens, we will sort something else out. Today, actually, seeing as it is now after midnight.

Sorry if I digress a little, my thoughts are all over the place.

We went down into medical, and found both the men in the same room. They looked as though they were both just taking an afternoon nap. A few almost healed cuts and grazes to be seen, but nothing out of the ordinary. They were hooked up to various machines, monitoring them, but to my uneducated eyes, it all seemed so normal, I could not help but ask myself why were they not waking up?

Doctor Simpson very gently explained that as they had been injected with some foreign substance that was clearly doing some kind of damage to their bodies, the best way for the brain to fight it is to shut them down, put them to sleep so that it could channel all its energies into fighting off…whatever it is.

I wonder if he thinks I am as silly as I look? It was kind of him to try, but really, that kind of explanation I could have worked out all on my own. However, I smiled as sweetly as I could and thanked him. Winston came in at that point, and I watched him standing over the inert form of his younger brother, and I could guess what was in his mind, as the same thing was in mine. Would they be okay?

It is strange you know, but once Katiya saw that her papa was breathing, and felt his heart beating strongly, she smiled and told me confidently that he would be fine. Considering the uncertain looks and speeches I had received from the medical personnel, I hated to be the one to burst her bubble; and anyway, who could tell?

We sat next to the two men for an hour or so, and when we went to move, Katiya refused to go. That was when I was asked if I would mind staying around so that Katiya could be with Illya. By talking to him in their native tongue, it is hoped she can get through to him. I agreed readily. How could I not? Tomorrow, or rather, today is Saturday, so Polly is not at school. I wonder what will happen? Waverly won't want all of us hanging around getting in everyone's way, that I do know. I might have to leave Wint to take care of Polly at home for a few days?

Sorry, I am digressing again. What I was about to say was that out of the blue, Katiya gave her papa a shake and said in his face' "Papa! Open your eyes!"

Then she turned to me and remarked; "Aunty Ce, it is like papa has been turned off. Like he is awake, but they made him sleep on the outside so's we can't tell."

I frowned at her, and asked her what made her say that. She shrugged and said;

"Well, it's just that his left eye is twitching."

The nurse assured us that it was just a muscle spasm, that was all. Katiya looked puzzled, and she said; "But papa is _making_ it happen."

"I know it seems that way, but…" the nurse began but Katiya looked obstinate.

"It _is_ my papa doing it, because it teached it to me. The _dot dot dot dit dit dit_ talking."

The nurse stared at her for maybe up to five seconds, then she turned and ran. I have never seen any nurse running as fast as she did then!

Presently, three doctors, a scientist, Mister Waverly and Slate and Dancer were all crowded into the room to see for themselves what little Katiya had noticed. After a few minutes of observation, Waverly leaned in and whispered something into Illya's ear, so that no one else could hear. Then he said aloud;

"Katiya, if you can read your papa's message, can you say out loud what he is saying now?"

Katiya stared at her papa for several seconds, and then turned to the old man with her eyes opened wide.

"Mister Waverly…papa's eye said…he said…"

"Yes, my dear?" Waverly asked, his eyes twinkling. Katiya started to giggle.

"He said he does not like pink. Can you make it a _black_ tutu?"

We all stared then, and Waverly turned to doctor Simpson.

"The child is correct, doctor. I whispered to Illya that if he does not wake up soon, I will make you dress him up in a pink tutu. This proves that she is right. Illya at least is awake and aware of what is going on, but unable to respond."

That is as much as I can tell you for now. It seems Illya and probably Napoleon too are awake after all, but are in some form of sedation that sedates the body but not the brain. I cannot imagine the hell Illya must have gone through trying to get people to notice his coded message. Thank goodness for Katiya!


	6. Chapter 30th January 500 AM

30th January

05.00 A.M

I can't sleep…I have been awake most of the night, worrying. So perhaps writing my diary might help me to get to grips with everything…

Sorry it has been a few days since I have made an entry, but things have been on my mind. It isn't that I have been run off my feet exactly…well I have but no more than any other mother, housewife, cook, part-time book-keeper, taxi-service…have I forgotten anything?

Now that they know Illya can communicate, they have been able to get from him a limited account of what happened to them…but I am sorry, I can't tell you what. I want to, but they won't tell me. Apparently, the details of the case are classified on a need-to-know basis, and I don't. That is, I don't need to know. Apparently. You'll have to read someone else's diary to get more information about that.

They have started to examine Napoleon very closely, but nowhere can they find a single movement, not even a twitch anywhere. It is impossible to know for certain that he is as aware inside as Illya is, but they are assuming that he is, and the doctors are keeping both men updated on the progress of their research and tests. Knowing that Illya is mentally wide awake and as sane as normal, but physically paralyzed, or comatose sent the lab off on a slightly different slant on their research. Apparently, the news suggested to them a more definite idea of what the chemical was that they had been injected with, and they are close to isolating it, I am told.

The bad news is that it does not right now appear to be something that will reverse itself when the substance leaves the bloodstream, although that has not been stated to me (as yet) as a categorical fact. So, it looks like the lab will have to come up with an antidote of some kind.

I have been trying to imagine what it must be like to be in their shoes…something like a brain attached to an inactive lump of meat. Both men have had to be attached to machines to take care of feeding them, to say nothing of the more intimate details that need to be taken care of. As they can still breathe for themselves, it seems their inner organs are working, if weak. It seems to be the motor cortex that has been affected by this…whatever it is.

What if the UNCLE lab fail to find a cure? The long-term prospects for them in that case does not bear thinking about.

I'm going to put this down now and get up and do some cleaning. This worrying is going to make me lose my mind.


	7. Chapter 7 - 30th January 1000 PM

30th January

10.00 P.M

Okay so I am really tired now, and ready to sleep, but I will have to update my diary first.

I've just realized that in my worry and agitation this morning, I completely failed to put in anything about Katiya.

I am starting to see her slightly differently, now. She is an actress, I think. She is putting on a show for everyone. She wants us all to see her as a `big girl', who can cope with anything that happens. She has seen a great deal in her young life, that is true, and Illya has told me before how impressed he was with her when he first met her. But watching the way she is with her papa in the medical bay at UNCLE headquarters, and how she behaves when she gets home again, she really is just a little girl. Vulnerable, scared and uncertain. Thrust into a world she is still trying to learn about, vastly different from the world she knew back home. She is also, I think, aware that we are Polly's mummy and daddy, not hers. She is constantly trying to be on her best behaviour with us. The fact that she had that screaming fit a couple of weeks ago, is evidence that she is having trouble coping with it all.

In medical, with Illya, she could be a twenty-year old from the way she behaves, but at home the cracks start to show. I really think that Winston and I have not done as good a job with her as I had at first believed. I sometimes wish that I could turn back the clock and do some things over again in order to get it right.

I wish I knew more about Illya's childhood. The kind of child he was, and how he coped with things he went through. If anyone can help her the best, it is him. I have to say that I have lost people, and suffered sadness and heartbreak, but nothing like Katiya and certainly nothing like her papa. I really cannot begin to understand the traumas there under the surface. All I can do is try. Perhaps a visit to the beach, now the weather has eased up slightly. A walk down the beach, the four of us, and try to get Katiya to open up a little and talk.

Katiya and I have been staying at headquarters. A car has been put at my disposal so that I can take her to school every morning, whereupon I am free whilst she is at school, and I can take care of chores at home, and making meals for my husband to warm up when he is finished on the farm. At the end of school, I pick up both my little girls and bring them back here to UNCLE, where they are fed in the commissary, and then taken down to see Illya and Napoleon. Wint arrives after a couple of hours, spends half an hour staring sadly at his unnaturally still and silent brother, then he and Polly head back home to New Jersey. It is a strain, but we are coping. Katiya, poor child, is watching her papa get weaker as each day passes, and I know she is secretly afraid that he will never get well again. UNCLE have the best medics and scientists in the world working for them. If there is an answer available, they will find it. I just hope they find it in time.


	8. Chapter 8 - 5th February 530 PM

5th February

5.30 P.M

Illya has stopped responding! His brain scans are showing now only minimal activity, so it looks as though things are becoming critical. Katiya has been crying all day, and she is refusing to leave his side. Doctor Simpson assures us that it does not mean that death is imminent. He says it may mean that he has gone into a genuine coma, but a cure of some sort is becoming urgent. The lab has apparently suspended all other work and all their time and energies are being focused on finding some way to help Napoleon and Illya. Napoleon's condition is the same as it has been all along. They both still look as though they will open their eyes any moment and grin. I wish they would.

I learned today that a week ago, the two agents that Waverly sent with Mark Slate and April Dancer to find Illya and Napoleon…agents Darkly and Fielding… have been on the job all this time, tracking down the THRUSH base, and they have this whole place buzzing, It seems that they have news of some sort, and they are apparently winging their way back to New York…though whether they will have anything that will help our boys who knows? It will be a few hours before they get here, so I might as well open a book and try to relax…I'll get Katiya to read to me. She will benefit from the practice, and it will also serve to keep her mind occupied.

I do hope someone finds something soon. I have been trying to remain upbeat, but I am getting very worried myself now, and I am not as good at keeping up the pretense as Katiya is.

Hang on Napoleon, hang on Illya!


	9. Chapter 9 - 7th February 715 PM

7th February

7.15 P.M

Well, I missed out making an entry yesterday, but not through lack of anything to say, believe me!

Darkly and Fielding arrived back just as I was leaving to take Katiya to school. She has been very restive, and she begged me to let her stay out of school for the day. And I was tempted, because if she was there, I would be able to stay too, and I desperately wanted to know what was happening, and whether or not the two agents had returned with anything that might help medical come up with a treatment for our two sleeping beauties. After all, they'd been `unconscious' for surely close to a month by now?

However, I listened to my common sense and stoutly ignored my pleading heart, and I took Katiya to school. I spoke to her teacher, explaining to her that Katiya's papa had taken a turn for the worse, and that Katiya was having trouble dealing with it...just in case she got any trouble from the poor little girl.

I had so many chores backing up at home…washing and ironing for the most part… and I got a lot of it done, although by no means all. I made a stew for Wint's dinner, and a cherry pie and on a whim…and for the life of me I cannot think why I did it…I made an apple pie for Illya! Why? I wrapped it up and after picking the girls up from school, we took it carefully with us and carried it down into medical.

You will never guess what we found when we arrived? Napoleon was sitting up in bed eating a bowl of ice-cream, and Illya was missing altogether! As we stood in the doorway, hardly able to believe our eyes, the bathroom door opened and Illya stood there, leaning heavily on the doorframe, but he was awake and vertical!

Katiya screamed "Papa!" at the top of her lungs, and she ran to him and almost climbed up him to hug him! The two were hugging so closely, that the rest of us started to wonder whether we should make ourselves scarce and leave them to it. Katiya was crying aloud, and by the look on his face, I gather it was the first time Illya had heard or even seen her cry quite so openly. Those two need to spend some quality time together. I am going to have a quiet word with Mister Waverly, I think. Mind you, that old man is sharper than a knife. There's a good chance I won't need to say a thing.

What transpired was that medical were almost there with the work they had been doing, but there was some vital element missing, some piece of information that they didn't have. Perhaps they meant an ingredient in the original chemical concoction that they had not been able to identify? I don't know, but whatever it was, apparently Darkly and Fielding brought back with them all the work notebooks and paperwork from the THRUSH lab that they had invaded and destroyed. Using the information contained in those notebooks, the lab were able to fill in the blanks to create a simple antidote. I was told that once the two men had been given the treatment, they had started to move and mumble in their sleep within half an hour, and then within two hours they were both waking up. Napoleon and Illya are both still very weak, having been so poorly for so long, so neither of them is being allowed to leave medical for at least a week. Illya was not happy to hear that, until I informed him that there was a young nurse nearby anxious to stay beside him and wait on him hand and foot. As soon as he realized I was referring to his little girl, he stopped complaining and gave her a smile I have never seen him bestow on anyone else. So here my entries end on this matter. I have been temporarily relieved of my guardianship of Katarina Kuryakin, and I have to return to being a farmer's wife. Katiya is to stay with her papa at UNCLE headquarters whilst Illya is still laid up in medical. They have set up an extra bed for her in her papa's room, and the medical duty staff will take care of her when her papa cannot. When she needs to leave the room, Mister Waverly tells me he will have her in his office. He apparently has things he can teach her _. I wonder what that could be?_

I'll let you know more when I find out. If I do. At least I know that at the moment, Katiya is exactly where she wants to be. By her papa's side.


	10. Chapter 10 - February 28th 200 PM

No daily entry just yet. I have just received a letter from Illya. I'll let it, or rather _him_ speak for himself.

My dear Cecily,

I owe you a debt of gratitude that I can never repay for taking such good care of my daughter. Believe me, that right at the beginning, after that Code Red Affair when she was first brought here to New York, I was quite ready to leave UNCLE to take care of her, and had secretly even begun thinking about what line of work I should consider going into, to earn a living.

I would say that even now, our arrangement is not perhaps the most ideal, but your kindness in taking such good care of my child whilst I cannot, allows me to fulfill my duties to UNCLE. That is important to me, for reasons I am not at liberty to specify at this moment. It may appear that I am putting myself and my employment ahead of my personal duties as Katarina's adoptive father, and perhaps that is so, but aside from the official reasons that I have alluded to, I have seen the evil and devilry that result when THRUSH is left to work their poison. Dedication, duty and sacrifice on the part of a few people such as myself are the only things that stand a chance of putting an end to their mischief. The alternative is a world that I cannot bear to contemplate, and believe me, you would not wish to live in a world dominated by THRUSH. Katiya has become a victim to both THRUSH's ire, and my possibly arrogant determination to put them out of business. She lost her own father to THRUSH, and her maternal grandfather also. They have already wreaked much havoc in her life, and although I am the only blood relation she has left, I am unable to offer her the stable home she so desperately needs as a little girl.

Cecily, I am finding this part difficult to write, because speaking about myself is hard enough for me. Dredging up the past is harder still. I did once have a loving and stable family myself, but I was only a few months older than Katiya when I lost it all forever. In one night, when the Nazis invaded my homeland, they swept through our village, and killed my family in one night, save for my brother Mikhail and myself. Our adopted uncle Dimitri was in prison at the time, and so Mika and I lived on the streets for a year or more before Dimitri returned. Even so, we were only with him for three months or so before the authorities dragged us away, separated us and threw us into their orphanage system. That both Mikhail and I survived into adulthood was little more than fortunate chance. That we made it completely sane…well in Mika's case I am wondering if he was completely sane? The Mika I knew would never have done the things he grew up to do*. I am the exception rather than the rule. I want my daughter to experience life as it should be, as it could be.

My dear Cecily, you know I am not talking about giving her lots of toys and holidays and treats. I am talking about having a mother and a father, people who are always there for her regardless of anything. Always having someone there that she can go to in the middle of the night when she is feeling alone or afraid. Someone that is not always in danger of losing their lives. You have become her true parents, Cecily. Believe me, you _are_ her mother now. Winston is doing the job I cannot do; he has become her father. If she ever chooses to call you by those titles…I will not object, neither will I be overly upset. I am only grateful that my dear friend and partner Napoleon has relations like yourself who have been so open-hearted to my little girl.

Do not misunderstand me, I have no intention of giving up my rights to Katiya. She is my blood. I am not only her only living blood relation…she is mine. She is the only other being in this world that carries the same blood as myself. Family is important to me. When I am free to give her my undivided attention, then nothing will keep her from my side, or me from hers. However, please do not be shy about giving her whatever she needs…discipline as well as anything else. You have done a very good job with your daughter Polly. You are doing a good job with Katiya too. Do not ever doubt it.

Right at this moment, Katiya and I are in Devon, England, staying at an Inn in a little village called Widecombe situated right in the middle of Dartmoor. We have been snowed in here almost since we arrived. The only decent sized road into the village is extremely steep and winding, and with the snow and ice, it is exceedingly treacherous to even attempt to walk it. With any vehicle, it would be impossible. Napoleon had been planning to join us for a few days, but the snows put paid to that. Katiya and I are in seventh heaven, of course. We are both quite accustomed to the cold and snow considering the winters we are both used to, so the villagers have put aside any suspicions they might have had of our nationality, and put us to work helping to keep the village itself clear and relatively snow free. The weather has started to change, the cold is not so penetrating. The villagers think I am mad, but I am quite confident that the snows will soon start to melt. Within about…three days I predict the access roads will be safe for vehicles, and my daughter and I will be able to leave.

I apologise that I am still unable to give you any information about the case Napoleon and I were working on. It is still classified, but believe me when I say that we succeeded in preventing what happened to us from being inflicted on an entire South American country. That is all I can tell you, and the cost, on the whole, although expensive, was worth it for the results. I will, however, be taking Darkly and Fielding out for a thankyou meal when we get back to New York. I am sure Napoleon has already expressed our gratitude in his own way; but my way is through food.

Whilst I was lying there unable to move my body, I cannot express how frustrated I was, how fearful that it would never be reversed. When my daughter was first brought into the room I was overjoyed, and yet unexpectedly upset. I so much wanted to open my eyes and see her, but I just could not. There was one moment, when I felt a set of fingers force my eyes open, and for that split-second I saw Katiya staring at me, looking so beautiful and so grown up, and yourself Ce, looking so worried. Then the next moment she bellowed at me, right in my ear to open my eyes. I remember desperately wishing that I could. But that was when I found that I was able to slightly control the twitch of my left eye. I never dreamed that Katiya would be so quick to pick up on that. I also cannot tell you how relieved I was when I heard Waverly speak to me. Despite his tongue-in-cheek threat to have me dressed in a pink tutu of all things, it meant that finally I was in touch with the outside world. That was a massive relief. I have not yet had the chance to speak with my partner about his impressions of the whole experience. I think that will be my first priority on our return.

Katiya and I have talked a great deal during our time here. We have grown to know one another a great deal better than either of us could have dreamt. We both learned things about each other that came as a complete surprise. She told me about how scared she was when I went missing and failed to communicate, and she confessed that she started to scream and rant. She is very ashamed of herself I think, although she has not said so.

You may think me odd, Ce, but in a strange way I was oddly relieved that it happened. I do not condone such behaviour of course, but at least I am reassured that she is a normal child. I was beginning to wonder a little about her. I know she is always on her best behaviour when she's with me, because she sees me so little, but she gave me the impression that she has been that way with you, too. I think things will change slightly after this incident. She has been regarding her life with you as temporary, and only whilst she behaves herself. She had some feeling that I would find a way of having her living with me permanently at some point. I have made it clear to her that, however much we might both want it to happen, the reality is that it would be too dangerous for her to live with me even if it _was_ allowed. I have to resign myself to being just a weekend father to her, and she does too. She was not happy about it, but at the same time she confessed that she has learned to love you and Wint and Polly, and happy to know that she will not have to worry about you getting tired of her and making her leave.

It is possible that I may reach home before this letter does, and if so, I hope it helps to tell you some things I may not be able to tell you in person. I know I am not the most loquacious individual, and I am disinclined to self-revelations. However, as the foster-parents of my daughter, you are entitled to more than the usual consideration.

I hope to be with you once again very soon to make use of the room you have so kindly set aside for my occasional use, and believe me, my dear Cecily, I am forever in your debt.

Illya

*Reference to The Lake Of Tears Affair


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